I’m not sure. I don’t use it with an external keyboard. I know it sounds insane to some of the people who get really caught up on this synth’s “flaws”, but those same shortcomings are part of why I love it so much. It’s a very organic synthesizer. After owning this synth for a few years now, I genuinely believe the purpose was to deliver a level of creativity that you can’t get anywhere else. It’s not about making sure you can have everything dialed in perfectly and sounding/working exactly how you think you want it to be, but rather giving you ideas and opportunities to really get the spark of creativity going. I love this synth despite the things it lacks.

I would agree, but maybe our definitions of fine in this case are a bit different. I think it just sounds fine plugged in. Nothing amazing, and I’m not the biggest fan of it, but I do love the sound of this acoustic guitar. I still have it and I don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon.

Do you like it? I actually bought a CP back in July haha.

As someone who has owned it and used it for a few years, I can tell you with confidence that it is definitely usable. I won’t pretend like that can’t be a bit irritating at times, but I mean it when I say I will own this synth until the day I die. It’s a great synthesizer like no other, and I believe it will continue to gain more notoriety and respect over time.

All of the drum loops in this video created on GarageBand using GarageBand. I have never tried recording it that way. You have to remember that, unless you mic it and record it that way, you’re just recording this thing mono with a makeshift input (1/8” like the one the previous owner put on mine). It was made as a home keyboard in the 80s. It can be used in a studio, but it’s not designed for it as is.

Also, I just have to add that I was busy when I quickly responded to your comment. Idk what I was initially thinking, but yes, I have used this synth in songs with multitracks. It can sound good depending on how you clean it up in the mix and with regard to production, but I think it’s worth it to be aware of a few things. I view this, like all of my other similar home keyboard/synths from the 80s and 90s as a secret sauce. It’s less something you can rely on, and more something to break out that would work perfect for the right song. If you own one with an rigged input jack, it’s going to be VERY hot when you play it through your interface, and honestly, it kind of loses a bit of sound quality to the tones when you turn it down to its lowest volumes. As I said before, it’s mono only, so that’s how it will come through when you record it. It’s also very limited in the sense of the unit itself. You don’t get many keys to work with, you can’t change the octave of those keys, and I’m believe getting a good recording really has to do with “getting it right at the source”. So, sometimes you’ll be using it for a song, and you’ll find that you can’t get the tone sounding how you want on the synth itself, and no amount of production techniques or effects will get you there bc what you need would need to come from the synth itself first. That being said, I’m also really big on the idea that composition plays a big role in a good recording of a song. When you can find a sound you like on the synth, and the parts are creative enough and work (on the instrument and in the song), then this synth has all the potential in the world to deliver what you want. I also think you could search through all the digital and hardware synths in the world, and you wouldn’t be able to get what this little synth has to offer. It’s truly one of a kind.

@@cheapmusicgear Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I like your channel. I'm also a fan of cheap keyboards.

Compared to a lot of synths out there? Yes. Also, I got mine for around $280. I can’t remember the exact price though.

That’s no good! It would be great if manufacturers could test these units before they send them out! Same with used market sellers! Hopefully you can get a return, refund, and/or a replacement. I can’t help but feel as if that was a bit of a counterpoint to the praise I give the synth in my videos. I would say you happened to just get a bad, malfunctioning unit of a great synthesizer. If that spoils your opinion of it, I can understand why, but that has nothing to do with the capabilities of a functioning unit.

​@@cheapmusicgear thanks! I bought it on thomann brand new, It seems that I was unlucky. I will get the cs again when I get refound, the first days I enjoyed it like a kid

@damoh_7062 I just got a Reface CP recently. I’ve been considering making a video on it. Maybe I’ll do it eventually.

One of the biggest pros of it (that I tried to elaborate on in my videos) is that it offers all of the “magic” and “opportunity” provided in a classic synth. By that I mean, there’s just something uniquely special to sitting at this synth and sliding each glider to come across a new sound. I think there’s a little spark of the same awe that musicians and producers felt back in the day when they would sit at a cs-80 while writing songs. The menu diving and and preset surfing can really just hinder things. This offers a range of unlimited sounds with all of that, and you can see the extent to your opportunities right there in the gliders. You can conceptualize how much of each parameter is being used. It’s a special synthesizer, and it’s a real workhorse that can “get the job done”. It’s great. I will never sell mine.

Of course!! That’s why I made sure to show off all the settings!

It was so fun that I ended up selling it!! There’s all sorts of reasons why I got rid of it, but I will tell you this. I have had my eye on the Minifreak for awhile. I used to think “just get the micro freak bc it’s cheaper and similar”, but personally, if I’m gonna own anything from this series (or Arturia), then I’m going with the Minifreak.

Get creative with it! My 380 is not working currently, but I have always been able to find good sounds on it. When I’m just playing the presets without making any adjustments, then I would say the opportunity to find good sounds on it decreases by (possibly more than) 60-70%. Use the gliders to really get the good sounds.

I love mine, and I will never get rid of it. That being said, if I had created this video now after owning it for more time, there is one negative aspect that I would add to the video. Overall, I still have the same general opinion on it not allowing owners to save sounds they’ve created, but I do wish it had that ability. My attitude is a little less “so what” about it. I still don’t think that should be a big hang up for anyone considering it, but I can understand why some people aren’t happy with that. I don’t necessarily mind it, and for everything else that makes this synth great, it makes me much less critical of this aspect than others. However, I just do find it more annoying these days than having to either take pictures, notes, and/or just wing it and try to recreate a previously used sound. None of this makes me think the synth is any less valuable, but I do wish it had a save feature programmed into the synth itself. All of that being said, I still think the value it derives from the features it has and the things it can do far outweigh its “limitations” and the things it can’t do. Hopefully that helps you out with your decision. I’ll also add that this is certainly one of those synths where if you don’t own it, but you research it and really find yourself hyped about it, you will definitely love it. I made my decision on it over the course of maybe 1-2 years. I would watch videos, read reviews, consider it, and so on; all while also finding myself thinking “I could recreate that exact synth sound with a reface cs” or “a reface cs would be perfect for this song”. I also do find myself these days considering eventually in the future deciding on a more expensive synth that seems to deliver better quality and value than the reface cs with the features it lacks. However, it’s not a purchase I would want to make anytime soon and I’m happy just continuing to use my reface cs for now. It’s a great synth, and I’m sure you’ll be very happy with your purchase. Also, I just wanna put it out there that Minilogues are great and similar in the sense that I think they offer a lot of great value at a reasonable price for beginners (and anyone else). I’ve never owned one, but I’ve played them and borrowed them for extended periods of time from friends. Definitely between the two though, I am a bigger fan of the reface cs.

@@cheapmusicgear really appreciate ur comment man! What u said also bothered me a bit, but think about the reface cs do got it own speaker and battery charge, which means it’s ready to use with just one click! I believe I will have more fun with this machine

@@alekolee4702 Yeah man, those are great features! The speakers on the synth itself sound good too.

@@cheapmusicgear thanks! Btw is the app ok to save the sound preset?

@@alekolee4702 I’ve never used it. That kinda sums up my point. Some people online like it. I’ve never really felt it was necessary to use it bc I do like the advantages to it not having a save feature that I mention in this video. As I said, I’m more annoyed these days with it not having that feature than I was when I made this video, but I genuinely like aspects of it as well. That’s a bit of a better way to distinguish my point I’ve been trying to make. I don’t mind it and like the creative advantages to it. Recreating sounds I’ve already used are just another way of discovering what this synth can do while getting back to what might end up being a better sounding version of the previously used synth that I wouldn’t have stumbled on if not for the process of dialing it back in.

Never mind! Just found the answer to my own question by looking at the 360 view on Sweetwater, I see now that the Left output is also Mono. Good video, thanks! I too am gonna be plugging one of these into an amp myself.

I don’t know of a better, more useful genuinely cheap synthesizer. I rarely use it as a processor when writing music, but it has found its way into more than enough songs. I’m sure you could find some great uses for it in actual songs as a vocal processor, but I tend to think of it as a secret sauce instrument. If a song is missing something, but I can’t quite figure out what that something could be, I will give it a try. Sometimes it works out, and other times it doesn’t, but what I’m trying to get at is that it has a use. It might seem like a cheap little toy that just generates noise, but people might be surprised at how much use and purpose they can fulfill.

In more of a literal sense, it’s a keyboard. However, it’s as 80s square wave as they come, and it does have the “voice variatior” buttons that serves as basically a filter that allows for synthesis. If you played one, you can see that you a certainly not just limited to each of the preset sounds. If you are interested in one of these, just know a few quick things. Do not expect a synthesizer with a lot of functionality in terms of what you can do on it. It’s, like how I look at a lot of these cheap synthesizers and keyboard in general, as great tools in the arsenal. If you want a square wave synth that has a lot of functionality and capabilities, then get something else. If you want a one-of-a-kind old, toy synth with a very specific sounds that offers a lot of potential use simply based on those qualifications, then it’s a great option.

@@cheapmusicgear Hi thank you for explaining to me! It really helped me decide because I have an old Korg X5 and even if it’s old, I think it was made for professional use when it was new. So I would like to have something that’s not toyish. I was looking at keyboards because they seems to all have built in speakers, which my Korg doesn’t. I would love to have an older analog synth but they are very expensive. I’m not so much into midi controllers, it’s too modern for me, I want something that doesn’t require any computer to work.

⁠@@daiena_rabinovichI would encourage you too look into the various “home keyboards” that Yamaha and Casio made throughout the 80s and 90s. Those have the most potential to meet your goal without breaking the bank, but they will be limited. The PSS-100 would be considered a home keyboard from that era. They are limited, and if you wanted one that does more and offers a lot of sound, I would not get this. The 100 is so uniquely its own thing, and it delivers 80s video game square wave sounds, but I could see people rightfully labeling it as a one trick pony. Look into the home keyboards I’ve mentioned, but I’ve also made a few videos on how much I love my Yamaha Reface CS. I won’t go into too much detail as to why, but I do think that could be a great option for what you want. It does it all too. It’s still incredibly affordable (for what it offers imo).

@@cheapmusicgear Well I did find a Casio 90s keyboard for $50 which might be too much and maybe also a toy-ish one I’m not sure. It’s called Casio CA-100 Tone Bank 😊

@@daiena_rabinovich i’m not familiar with that one. Use KZbin, Reddit, and various reviews online to see what people think of it and how it sounds. Most of mine are Yamahas, but I do own a Casio CT-680. I like it. I got it for $20 from a friend years ago though. Idk if I would pay the prices I’m seeing it go for online these days, but it’s great. It has a lot of usable preset sounds, and then it comes with a little section labeled “digital synthesizer” where you can control 4 various synth parameters. It allows you to create some really unique and usable sounds.

Everything in this video was purchased on either reverb or eBay in the summer of 2020. I have since found a pss 680 at a thrift store. That was cool. I also bought a 480 on eBay maybe two years ago or so.

@@cheapmusicgear Hmmm that makes sense. I came across a Yamaha PSR90 for 45 USD just before replying to your comment. I'm tempted to get it, however don't know about condition, will have to go inspect. Cheers from Australia.

@ulvessens5902 the condition is certainly something to be concerned about. 2/3 synths in this video currently do not work. You’re dealing with good synths that are not of the best quality and are decades old at this point, so keep that in mind while you’re shopping around.

I own a 680. I found it at a thrift store underneath a pile of nonsense about a year ago. I couldn’t believe it. It has a power adapter soldered into the input and it’s covered in all of those dumb beginner stickers on the keys. Anyways, it’s a great synth. The whole series is great. I acquired a 480 since the video as well, but still, my all time favorite is the 380. I prefer adjusting the parameters via the gliders over the led/button selection of the 480 and 680. Plus, there’s just something to the sounds you can get out of the 380 that I love. Any of them from the series is worth it for any fans though.

It’s a great instrument. I don’t know of anything else like it. I’ve since acquired a PSS-480 and a PSS-680. Both are similar in ways, and offer other sounds and capabilities, but they just don’t provide what the 390 does. I live the gliders on it, even if they work like little notches that stop at various setting levels as opposed to moving freely up and down. It’s so much more frustrating to have to make those adjustments via -/+ selection screen involving buttons and selecting each individual parameter to adjust. That show you do it on the other two synths. All that being said, my 390 stopped working lol. It’s a huge bummer bc out of all of my synths and every other instrument and music gear that I own, it was one of my absolute favorites. I essentially ended up getting it for free due to an error in shipping (that resulted in it needing some repairs to the exterior and a full refund). So I don’t know if I can ever get rid of it. I could probably sell it for relatively cheap to another enthusiast who knows how to repair it. I’m honestly just holding onto it until I can get around to actually figuring out how to fix it myself or who to take it to to repair it. It’s one of those instruments that I want to keep for the rest of my life. All of that being said

Yes, that’s very much a part of the appeal of this specific synth.

Thanks for clarifying that

​@@cheapmusicgearAWM means samples by Yamaha.

Interesting. That makes sense bc it has a lofi 90s samples vibe. I love the sounds on that little keyboard. I still use it more than most of my other cheap keys these days honestly.

@@cheapmusicgear the confusion is also there because some of the Yamaha keyboards from these period use both samples and FM (PSR 38, PSR 48 and some others). Always the best test is the acoustic piano sound. If it's quite natural it means it's AWM as with two or even four FM operators it's impossible to reproduce it accurately.

Watch some of my other videos on the synth if you want to understand why that doesn’t bother me at all

My beginner beginner tip if you have zero experience on piano or synth is learn the chromatic scale and what it is/it’s importance. It’s essentially every possible note within music. It’s exactly how the keybed is laid out. At the same time, learn and memorize where all the notes are on the key bed. I don’t recommend using those little stickers bc my philosophy is that, if you’re a mentally capable adult and you use those, you’re not gonna actually memorize the keys. Kinda like a setting yourself up to be lazy and not actually learn kinda thing. From there, move onto major and minor scales, then start learning chords and so on. Learn how to play on time too. Practice to a metronome. Blah blah blah. For a synth and understanding parameters/etc, this is a great synth to learn on. Just mess with the gliders and take mental note of how the sounds are changing. There’s more that you probably could/should learn and understand, but I think that’s the best way for a total beginner bc it makes the experience more fun and interactive. Anyone who tells you to study all that at first via reading and research is being disingenuous. Just turn knobs and move gliders.

Why’s that?

Brand new ones are currently $100 off just about every site that sells them

Is that supposed to be an impression of me? That wasn’t at all my approach to this video. I have always loved breaking out these types of synths when recording. I think they are and can be a secret weapon or a “missing puzzle piece” in a song. I own them, enjoy using them, and ultimately wanted to show that off to people. Do you typically like to think you know everything about everyone?

Thank you for watching it! I really do enjoy this guitar. From all the research I’ve done, you really can’t go wrong with the Ibanez Artwood series acoustics, so maybe some of the other options are worth consideration as well?

I completely agree, plus it delivers on so every sound a synth player could need. That’s not to say it delivers every function or parameter that a synth player could want (or “need”), but in terms of sounds, it provides a diverse range of options. I have played music and instruments for over 20 years, and I have sold off tons of instruments over that period of time. Some of which I have regretted, and I’ve learned to really recognize when I have a piece of gear worth holding onto for life. The reface cs is one that I am certain I will never sell. It is my favorite go-to synth that I currently own. I believe time will be good to these instruments in terms of interest, value, and demand. They encapsulate the magic and essence of vintage synths in a compact, sleek and modern design. As the world moves more towards an overly saturated digital age where too many options become overwhelming and bury productivity, I believe this synth can deliver real, authentic opportunities to deliver on concrete creativity. This instrument is special. I don’t know of anything else quite like it. It allows me to tap into a portion of my inner child who was learning instruments (specifically synths), and was both inexperienced and lacking certain limitations that come with experience and professionalism over time. I love it. I don’t mean to sound lame, but I have a fondness for this synth that is really unparalleled by any other inanimate object or instrument I own/have owned

I feel you on all of that. My short answer to you would be: yes, it’s better than I thought. It’s not my favorite at all though, and I’m actually ready to maybe sell mine. It’s just a time waster for me when I break it out. I really appreciate what it can do for the price, and it’s a unique synth, but it’s not for me. Reface CS is infinitely better in my opinion. It’s my favorite go-to synth option. It’s reliable. I have owned and sold a lot of instruments in my lifetime, and I am certain I will never sell my reface cs. I think they will increase in price and demand over time for them. They are not unique in the same ways as a Microfreak, but the reface cs is very unique in its own perfect ways. It’s the type of synth that reminds me of why I enjoy synthesizers every time I break it out.

I agree entirely. I loved it from the day I first got mine, but I had regularly considered getting one since their release. I used to watch demos of it all the time. It’s part of why in my videos on it, I mention that if you have a certain level of interest in them, then you will definitely like it when you buy it. My bottom line is that it gets me more of a cs-80 sound than any other synth (including digital) that I own. I understand them being a take on the cs series, but I also challenge people to show me tons of better options these days in the form of a working, portable, modern synth that can nail it as close. I’m sure a few exist, but this was clearly made with the ability to deliver one of the few modern options out there that can provide something similar to a cs-80. It’s a great synth. It’s my favorite one I own. I will never sell mine. I’m glad to see comments from people like you on my reface cs videos showing it some love. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your opinions with me.

Cheap synths are the unsung heroes of some of the greatest pop songs of the past and present. It’s a bit of a shame to me to think these companies were putting out “good” quality “toy” synths full of potential just to have so many of them die in a closets and garages over the years.

Thanks! It’s a fun pedal. Definitely worth trying with an acoustic if you’re ever interested.

Not a dumb question at all. I think the best answer to your question would be that can get a sound similar to an electric piano (in a subjective manner) and/or something comparable or something that would work fine as a substitute. Keep in mind though, I am referring to more of a clean electric piano sound. It is still undoubtedly a synthesizer (based off of one of the most classic synths out there). So, in short, you probably won’t be able to get something that sounds exactly like a clean acoustic piano out of this. If that’s the sound you’re after, I suggest something else. Here’s one last opinion on this. In terms of sounds, this thing offers an infinite number of different options and they’re all very easy to access and navigate. That being said, this thing has all the potential in the world to fit in well with nearly every style of music, and you would more than likely find yourself trying to dial in a clean piano sound, but coming across something similar (or different) that sounds really good and can be used for the desired part. Hopefully that insight helps!